The Disaster Response Center serves many roles, including as a training facility. Here, U.S. Coast Guard and DRC personnel receive training regarding SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive) objectives during a July, 2013, conference.
Over the past decade, the Gulf of Mexico has faced both natural and human-caused disasters, including hurricanes, oil spills, tornadoes, droughts, harmful algal blooms, and wildfires. While we cannot prevent these severe events, we can reduce their impacts by helping to prepare federal, state, and local decision makers for a variety of hazards and threats.
NOAA’s Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center (DRC), the newest addition to the Office of Response and Restoration, establishes an unprecedented regional NOAA presence and expands federal capacity to plan for and respond to hazards of all types. The DRC brings together NOAA-wide resources to improve preparedness, planning, and response capacity for natural and human-caused disasters along the Gulf coast.
The DRC focuses on the needs of federal, state, and local partners who rely on NOAA scientific support in times of emergency and serves as a central coordination point in the Gulf of Mexico for access to these products and services. The DRC currently hosts experts in a range of disciplines, including:
The DRC is a hardened facility designed to survive a major hurricane. The 15,200-square-foot facility is centrally located along the Gulf in Mobile, Ala., away from storm surge or flood threats, and is only minutes away from Mobile Regional Airport. The building is designed to resist up to Category 5 hurricane winds and has an interior F5 tornado shelter.
Email Us
Address:
7344 Zeigler Boulevard
Mobile, Alabama 36608
Phone: (251) 544-5006